The Nation
by Canadagirl52
Summary: Tobias witnesses a fight that he can't believe.  Who is this Alfred F. Jones?  Why is he so strong?  Tobias knows only one thing for sure; the Yeerks can never get anywhere near this guy...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Another Fanfic! This one has multiple chapters! Yeah, I'm a huge Animorphs fan. I'm ignoring the actual time setting of the series and setting it in the present day, just to make it easier!**

**Disclaimer: Come on, people, this site is called . Would I be on this if I was claiming to be anything more than a fan?**

My name is Tobias.

I've seen a lot of weird things. When you're a bird who hangs out with an alien and four kids who regularly turn into animals, weird things tend to become the norm. But they didn't quite compare to this.

Let me back up. My friends and I-Jake, Rachel, Marco, Cassie, and Ax, the alien-are fighting in a war. An underground war against evil, parasitic alien slugs called Yeerks. They enter the head through the ear canal, sink into the brain, and take over. A few months ago, we were given our only weapon against them by Ax's older brother, an Andalite named Elfangor. Just before he died, he gave us the power to morph-to turn into any animal we can touch and acquire the DNA of. We've been fighting the Yeerks ever since.

There is only one rule for morphing; never stay in a morph for more than two hours, or you're stuck. I broke that rule. A strange being called the Ellimist gave me back my morphing ability, but I'm stuck as a red-tailed hawk. I live in a clearing in the woods.

Anyway, I was flying around, riding columns of hot air called thermals. We were going to have a meeting at Cassie's barn once the others were out of school, so I was wasting time until then. Our friend Erek King had something important to tell us.

As I was flying, I noticed a commotion in the woods below. Ordinarily, I could have attributed it to some wild animals. But then I heard an unmistakable bellow.

The bellow of a Hork-Bajir.

I banked sharply, heading for the commotion. Either some of the free Hork-Bajir were in trouble, or Ax was in trouble. Either way, the Yeerks were involved.

Well, they were, but it was neither with free Hork-Bajir or with Ax.

I came upon Hork-Bajir and Taxxon Controllers engaged in a fight. "Controller" is what we call someone with a Yeerk in their head. Hork-Bajir are like these giant lizards with blades on their heads, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. Taxxons are giant centipedes with jelly-like red eyes that surround a circular mouth full of sharp teeth. They'll eat anything that bleeds, even each other.

They were fighting. And they were plainly losing. Several Taxxons had burst open, and their brethren were feasting on them. Many Hork-Bajir were on the ground with either bullet holes or smashed in skulls. What was most impressive, and surprising, was their opponent. Yes, opponent, _singular._

They were up against a young man who couldn't be older than his early twenties. He had blond hair with a cowlick in the front, and blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. He wore jeans, a T-shirt, and a bomber jacket on which a 50 could be seen when he turned around. I couldn't believe this guy was holding his own against Hork-Bajir and Taxxons. As I watched, he burst apart another Taxxon with a single punch, then shot a Hork-Bajir in the eye. Oh, yeah, did I mention this guy had a gun? His punches also cause the smashed Hork-Bajir skulls.

I was stunned. Just how strong was this guy? It wasn't long before the uninjured Taxxons had finished off all the injured and dead, then met similar fates. The guy stood, hardly panting, in the middle of his battlefield. Then, with an angry look on his face, he pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. I did my best to stay out of sight.

"Tony!" He yelled into the phone. "Were you ever gonna tell me about these giant centipedes and walking Salad Shooters in-They attacked me!-Of course I killed them all!-What the hell do you mean 'not over the phone'?-Yeah, that one town I mentioned last week-Why?-Aren't you going to tell me _anything?_-Fine! I'll wait! You'd better tell me what's going on, though!" He angrily snapped the phone shut, then walked away.

I followed him out of the woods, and into town, until he entered one of the hotels. I then hightailed it to Cassie's barn.

I had to tell my friends about him. He had no idea what he was up against. It was a good thing all his opponents were dead-if word of him got back to the Yeerks, they would go after him full force, and we couldn't let that happen.

I flew into the rafters just as Marco said "Did Bird-Boy get distracted by an extra-large mouse?"

Not a mouse, I said, bringing my arrival to his attention. Just a guy who fought off about twenty Hork-Bajir and Taxxons without breaking a sweat.

Everyone stared at me. Marco, who was short, and tan, and thinks everything's funny. Rachel, a supermodel blond with a lot of hidden strength. Jake, our reluctant leader. Cassie, who had paused in tending to an injured goose. Ax, who looked like a mix of blue dear, centaur, and scorpion with no mouth and two extra eyes on stalks on the top of his head. And Erek, whose appearance was just a hologram to hide the android beneath.

"You're joking, right?" Marco asked.

I'm perfectly serious. He was punching and shooting them. He could make a Taxxon explode or crack a Hork-Bajir's skull with _one_ punch. Then when he had either killed them or the Taxxons had finished them off, he pulled out a cell phone and started yelling at someone named Tony, who seem to know what was going on, although _he_ sure didn't. I followed him to one of the local hotels.

Everyone was stunned. I couldn't blame them. I had seen it, and _I_could hardly believe it.

Ax spoke up. That is impossible. A human can't be strong enough to shatter a Hork-Bajir skull.

"The Yeerks _can__'__t_ get this guy." Jake said. "He would be a huge problem."

"He's not the only one who would be a problem." Erek said. "Our sources tell us the Yeerks have become interested in a certain individual."

We all turned to him, eager to hear the reason he had wanted to see us.

"Alfred F. Jones," he said, "A government official. Rather young, with little information. There are thousands of men by the name of 'Alfred Jones', but we have difficulty finding anything relating to this particular one."

"Then why are the Yeerks so concerned with him? Doesn't seem very important." Rachel said.

"True, but there is one thing we could find. He is very close to the President."

Erek let that sink in. We all knew what that meant; this guy could make it easier to infest the President.

"I brought a photo." Erek said. He pulled it out. I got on Rachel's shoulder to get a good look at it.

I stopped breathing. No…no way…

"What is it, Tobias?" Cassie asked.

That's…that's the guy I was telling you all about. The guy who beat the Hork-Bajir and Taxxons…

There was silence, then Marco said, "The universe just loves to play around with us, doesn't it? Now we have two reasons to keep him away from the Yeerks." He paused, and looked around. "Need I say it? This is insane!"

**And cut! Lol, I had to have Marco say his famous line.**

**In case you're wondering, this is taking place after book 10, but somewhere before the David Trilogy…**

**I'm not going into too much detail about the Yeerk invasion, or any of the other details K.A. Applegate gets into in the first couple of chapters.**

**Alright! I have the other chapters written, so please, read and review, and expect the next in a couple of days.**

**Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2 folks! I'm working on getting the line breaks down, so if you don't see any…I need help.**

**One of my reviewers pointed out that the weird arrow bracket thingys that denote thought-speak do not show up. So therefore, from now on thought speak will be indicated as such; *thought-speak*.**

**Alright, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: While I won't tell you my real name, I can say that it isn't Hidekaz Himaruya or K.A. Applegate. So obviously I didn't come up with any of the characters or creatures in this.**

The United States of America, who also went by Alfred F. Jones, was usually a very happy nation. He had this goofy grin that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on his face. At this moment, however, it had vacated the premises, and a frown had replaced it. He sat on a hotel bed, glaring at his alien friend, Tony, from under knit brows.

The alien looked uncomfortable, apologetic even. He had just finished his explanation, and just watched America, waiting for his response.

"So," he began slowly. "Alien slugs called Yeerks are infesting and taking over people's minds. _American__'__s_ minds."

Tony gazed at him unblinking (not a very impressive feat; America wasn't sure if he had eyelids). "Yes."

He glared some more. "I've known you since you crashed in Roswell in 1947. And you _never_ thought to mention this?"

Tony flinched. "It was a quiet invasion at first. It still is. It was only recently that the Andalites came to oppose them. Their Dome ship was destroyed. There are rumors that a small group of five or six survived. These 'Andalite Bandits' are the only resistance."

"But why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"I didn't deem it important."

"These are my _citizens,_Tony! My very existence depends on them!" He paused to give Tony some time to squirm. "What do you think I'll say to the others if the Yeerks succeed? It's not gonna be 'Hah! I told you aliens exist!' No, it'll be more along the lines of 'I'm sorry I didn't realize this was happening right under my nose!'" He sighed, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just don't feel very heroic, and I don't know what to do."

"Well, you can't outright declare war on them." Tony said. "They've gone to great lengths to keep this quiet. Your best bet would be the Andalite Bandits. You should find them and talk to them."

"Where the hell am I gonna to find them? I don't exactly have any alien embassies…yet."

"Try the forest. Andalites are grazers. The woods will have grass for them, and keep them away from human eyes. Now I'm leaving." The alien said, standing. "I know you invited that ******* Limey, and I don't wanna be here when he arrives."

"Tony, why do you always call Iggy that? And what do you have against him?" America got no answer, though, as Tony walked out of the room and shut the door. A few minutes later, it opened and England walked in. "Alfred, you were supposed to meet me at the airport! Where the bloody hell were you?"

Alfred sighed and stood. "Come on, Iggy. We're going for a nature hike."

Erek gave us a rundown on why Jones was in the area; he was checking out The Sharing.

Just our luck. The Sharing is a front for the Yeerks. It _seems_ like a coed Boy Scouts, but that's how they rope you in.

We decided to do a stakeout, keep an eye on him. The others morphed seagulls, and I led them to the hotel. Just as we got there, though, he was leaving, pulling a slightly shorter blond man behind him.

Marco whistled. *Whoah. Someone forgot to tell him to take the caterpillars off his face.*

He had a point. The guy's eyebrows were _huge._

"Alfred!" Eyebrows snapped in a British accent. "Why the bloody hell are we going to the woods?"

"I'll tell you when we get there!" Jones said cheerfully. He and Eyebrows continued down the street. We followed.

*Is Jones showing Eyebrows where he fought the Hork-Bajir and Taxxons?*

*Probably*

*What if Eyebrows is one of _them_?* Marco said.

*Then Jones is in trouble.*

When they got to the woods, they stopped so Eyebrows could catch his breath. The others flew ahead and morphed wolves. I stole Eyebrows' tie when he took it off so the others would have a scent to follow.

*He smell like…tea.* Cassie said, sniffing the tie. *And something burnt.*

We stayed out of sight, but close enough to hear them.

I'll spare you the details, but we freaked when Jones told Eyebrows about the Yeerks. Apparently he heard about it from Tony. Tony had also told him to find the "Andalite Bandits". That's what the Yeerks call us. We plan to keep it that way.

*What do we do? They're looking for _us._* Cassie said.

*Okay,* Jake said. *Ax, demorph and meet them. The rest of us will stay wolf.*

*Yes, Prince Jake.*

*Don't call me "Prince".*

*Yes, Prince Jake.*

To say Jones and Eyebrows were surprised when Ax emerged from the bushes in front of them was an understatement. Eyebrows screamed and hid behind Jones. Jones just said "Dude! You look so cool! Is that a _blade_ on your tail? How sharp is it? See, Iggy, I _told_ you there were more aliens than Tony."

"Do _not_ mention Tony," Eyebrows grumbled, having quickly abandoned his spot behind Jones.

*Hello,* Ax said. *My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. My Prince sent me to speak with you. We understand you are looking for us.*

"Yo, dude!" Jones said with a huge grin. "I'm-"

*Alfred F. Jones. We know. We have been watching you. We do no know, however, who your companion is.*

"Arthur Kirkland." Eyebrows said. "If you do not mind me asking, Mr. Isthill, why have you been following Alfred?"

*Please, call me Aximili. We have been watching him for two reasons. The first is that one of our own witnessed him fighting several Hork-Bajir and Taxxons. And winning. An impossible feat for a human. Second, the Yeerks have taken an interest in him due to his close ties to your President.* He paused. *We started watching him about one of your hours ago.*

"That…is disconcerting." Jones said. He looked around. "So, uh, where are the rest of you?"

Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Marco stepped into view, still wolves, and I alighted on a branch behind Ax. It was weird because the second he could see us, Jones have us these strange looks, like he was trying to figure us out. He kept staring while Ax briefly explained the morphing ability to him.

Finally, he said something. "There's no way these guys are Andalites."

We froze. He _couldn__'__t_ know…

"Alfred," Kirkland said. What makes you-"

"They're human, Iggy!" Jones cried. "They're Americans! They're _my__citizens_!"

"Alfred! Be careful what you say!"

We started freaking out in private though-speak.

*He figured it out! Oh, man, we're so _dead_!* Marco said.

*What do we do? What do we do?* Cassie cried.

*Calm down,* Jake said.

Meanwhile, my hawk ears picked up a whispered scolding.

"Alfred, you bloody git! They've already seen your strength, and if you go around saying 'my citizens' the cat is out of the bloody bag!"

*They have a secret, too.* I told the others.

*Well, since our gig is pretty much up, we could offer an exchange of secrets.* Jake said thoughtfully.

"Are you sure man?* Marco said.

*I don't know about you guys, but I think we can at least trust Jones. I get this feeling from him.* Cassie said.

Now that she mentioned it, he _did_ give me a weird feeling. Like I had know him my whole life, and would do _anything_ for him.

Even die for him.

The others seemed to have realized the same thing.

*Let's do it.* Rachel said, something she usually only says before a dangerous meeting.

Slowly, the others began to demorph. I went to the ground, and started morphing to human.

Jones and Kirkland gaped as us as fur and feathers disappeared, and limbs rearranged themselves. Soon five humans and one Andalite stood before them.

Jake stepped forward, and spoke.

"Mr. Jones is right. We are human. My name is Jake. These are Rachel, Cassie, Marco, and Tobias. Ax's older brother Elfangor gave us the power to morph just before his death. We are the so-called 'Andalite Bandits'."

"But we prefer 'Animorphs'." Marco interjected.

Jake glared at him, then continued. "Now we would like to know what _you_ are. How did you know we're human? How can you crack a Hork-Bajir's head open with one punch?"

There was silence. Jones and Kirkland glanced at each other. Then Jones spoke.

"I'm telling them."

"Alfred, you can't-

"Watch me. These are my citizens. They are fighting to save the Earth. They're _heroes_. You can't stop me, Iggy."

Kirkland looked angry, then sighed. "All right, then."

Jones turned to us. He suddenly looked very old. He didn't get wrinkles, but there was this _look_ in his eyes. Jake sometimes got the same look. Like he had seen a lot.

"Alfred F. Jones is my human name." He said. "My _real_ name…is the United States of America." He flashed us a grin, and a thumbs up. "I'm the hero!"

**I'm ending it there. Yes, a cliffhanger. Cliffhanger, hanging from a cliiiiiiiifffff, and that's why he's called Cliffhanger! Hahah, anyone know where that's from?**

**Sorry if America seem OOC, or Tony. I thought that America would be serious about something like this, and I don't know Tony that well (he gets like, what, five minutes of screen time?).**

**Please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all! Chapter 3, coming at ya! Almost everyone got where that cliffhanger quote came from…and only one person was mad about it.**

**Without further ado, chapter 3 of The Nation!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or Animorphs.**

It didn't make sense.

He had said his name was the United States of America. As in the _country._ It didn't make sense.

Marco spoke up. "Uh, the United States is a _country._"

"Exactly, child." Kirkland said.

"Hey! You're not that much older than me!"

"But I _am._" Kirkland replied. "Even America here, who is rather young, is _much_ older than you."

"Oh, yeah? How old is he?"

"Roughly around two hundred and thirty."

"Two hundred thirty _five,_ Iggy."

"You know that's not exact. You were around for quite a while before 1776."

"It's still my birthday!"

"A date that makes me feel _miserable._ Bloody independence."

"Wait a minute," Rachel said. "Two hundred is _young?_ What would you consider _old?_"

"Gramps here is a few thousand years old."

"Don't call me 'Gramps'! That's worse than 'Iggy'!"

"Wait," Cassie said. "If he's America, then who are you, Mr. Kirkland?"

"Oh, that's easy," America said. "He's England."

"Properly, it's the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

"He also goes by UK, United Kingdom, Britain, Great Britain, and Iggy."

"I do _not_ like being called Iggy!"

"It's a shortened version of your name!"

"In _Japanese!_"

"Can we _please_ stop arguing?" Cassie asked.

America shrugged. "So, anyway, we're the personifications of nations. We fit the stereotypes of our people. Arthur here likes tea, is cranky, and can't cook to save his life-"

"And this git downs hamburgers by the bucketful, has a hero complex, and is a complete moron."

"Love you too." America said, with a secret grin that made the other blush. "When our country suffers, so do we."

"How is any of this possible?" Marco asked.

"You turn into animals on a regular basis, and you can't believe in the supernatural?" England replied.

"Watch out, he'll start talking about fairies next."

"Just because you can't see them does _not_ mean that they aren't real!"

"Enough!" Jake said. "Make an effort _not_ to fight now, please."

America winked at him. "Kid, you could be my boss someday." He glanced at his watch. "Dang, it's getting late. I was hoping to swing by a meeting of The Sharing…" he trailed off at the looks on our faces. "What?"

"The Sharing is a front organization for the Yeerks." Jake said.

America looked angry. He spun around and punched a tree, which immediately fell over. Marco yelped, "Dude, how'd you get so strong?"

"He's always been like that. When he was a child, he picked up a buffalo and swung it around." England looked away and muttered "He didn't need my protection after all…"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" America fumed. "The very reason I came here is a Yeerk operation? The Yeerks are _so_ going down!"

"It's not that easy," Jake said. "The Yeerk pool is under half the town!"

"Dang it," America said, fists clenched and tears in his eyes. "How could I not notice this? I've failed all those people! Some hero _I_ am."

"America," England said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You couldn't have known. Tony said they worked hard to keep this quiet. Now you can do something. We can bring it up at the next World Meeting, warn the others. You can't go fighting them, because once they know that _you_ know, they'll keep trying until they have you. And if they get _you,_ it's over for the rest of us. If any of us were taken, it would be the beginning of the end."

**Alright, this seems like a good place to stop. Coming up is some serious action, so I'll give it its very own chapter. Not much left to this, really. One more chapter, an epilogue, and probably an omake. **

**Please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Another chapter everyone!**

**I'm so glad all of you are reading. And did you notice I hinted at some USUK last chapter? Well, another nation is coming this chapter! As promised, this is a chapter with some ACTION!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I've already said that none of this is mine.**

Not much was said after that. Soon enough, we all morphed and went home. America got _really_ excited at Rachel's bald eagle morph. We agreed to meet again at Cassie's barn.

I flew over the town the next day, processing everything. It was so weird that countries had personifications, people that were hundreds or thousands of years old. It was a lot to digest.

I spotted a familiar blond on the streets below. There was America. I flew over, intending to say hello, but then I noticed he was surrounded by people. My eyes caught the glint of guns and Dracon beams. He noticed them, too, and allowed them to lead him away.

For the second time in as many days, I was flying full speed to Cassie's barn. The others were already there.

*Big trouble!* I said as I flew in. *The Yeerks have…* I trailed off, confused. *America? But I just saw the Yeerks capture you!*

Sure enough, America was there, standing next to England. "No, I haven't run into any, as far as I know."

*Weird,* I said. *He looked _just_ like you.*

America stiffened. "Just like me? Did he have a polar bear?"

*Uh…yeah, actually.*

"Was his hair slightly longer than mine, with an errant curl coming from the top?"

*Now that you mention it, yeah, it was.*

America and England paled, and said at the same time "Matthew!"

"Wait, who's Matthew?" Rachel asked.

"My brother!" America cried. Matthew Williams, the personification of Canada!"

As one, we all said *"_What?_"*

"He was coming to check out The Sharing with me! Mattie is always either not noticed, not recognized, or mistaken for me! Dang it, why couldn't it have been the first two?"

"They've surely taken him to the Yeerk pool to be infested. With any luck, he hasn't been yet. We can get down there and rescue him. We'll use the McDonald's entrance." Jake said.

"There's an entrance in _McDonald__'__s?_" America exclaimed, looking stricken.

"Didn't you hear people ordering a Happy Meal with extra happy?"

"I haven't _been_ to your McDonald's yet!"

"I'm impressed, America. I thought you would have visited it ten times by now!"

"I went for a walk in the woods once I got here, then I was attacked, then _this_ crazy stuff happened. I've been busy."

"Here's the plan." Jake said. "America and England can go in. The rest of us will morph fleas, and hitch a ride on them. But we'll need a way to keep the Yeerks from recognizing the two of you."

"I've got it!" America said. "To the store!"

Later, the rest of us were waiting impatiently in front of a store. America came out with a bag. He pulled out a white mask with a bearded face and handed it to England.

"Really, Alfred? You watch that movie too much…"

"_V__for__Vendetta_ rocks!" He grinned and showed us the Captain America mask he got for himself. He had some for us, too; and Iron Man one for Jake, Wonder Woman for Rachel, Spider-Man for Marco, Batman for Ax, Batgirl for Cassie, and Falcon for me.

"Alfred, we'll be in _morph,_ we don't need them." Marco said. When America looked upset, he added "But we'll keep them anyway!"

We morphed fleas in an alleyway, and the two countries successfully got us into the Yeerk pool. They seemed both furious and sick when we got there, especially America. We found a private enough place to demorph and remorph into our battle morphs. America challenged Marco in his gorilla morph to an arm wrestling tournament, but England smacked his arm to refocus him. We peeked out, looking for Canada. I finally spotted him in a place I had already looked at twice.

*There he is!*

*Where? I don't see him.*

*You're looking right at him!*

*Since Tobias knows where he is,* Jake said, *he can go out first. Land on his shoulder, and keep others away from him.*

*Got it.*

I flew out, and the others burst out behind me. I ignored the fighting and went straight for Canada.

He looked a little freaked at a red-tailed hawk landing on his shoulder.

*You're Canada, correct?*

He jumped, and gaped at me. "How do you know-"

*Later. We're helping your brother rescue you.*

"Al's here?" He said, squinting through the crowd. "And…is that Arthur?" He looked at me. "You let Al choose the masks, didn't you?"

*He wouldn't let us in the store.* I then alighted from his shoulder, flew up, and raked the eyes of a Hork-Bajir that had been coming toward us. *Come on, let's get you out of here.*

"Not without Kumajirou!"

*Kumawho?*

"My polar bear!"

"I'm right here." Said a high-pitched voice near the ground. I looked down and saw a small polar bear. It tilted its head and said (yes, it could talk) "Who're you-"

"I'm Matthew." Canada said, as though he was expecting the question. He scooped up the polar bear. "Okay. Now we can go."

We worked our way to the others. I didn't really need to do much. Canada was a vicious fighter, though he admitted to me he didn't like it much.

America was mopping the floor with the Controllers. England was impressive, too. I'm not sure where he got the sword, though.

*All right, guys!* Jake called. *Let's get out of here before-*

*Andalite filth!*

*Visser Three!*

Indeed, he was there. The only Yeerk with an Andalite host. The only Yeerk with the morphing ability.

*Hand over the human called Jones,* he said, *And your deaths will be painless!* He pointed at Canada. *Hand him over!*

Obviously, we were not going to do that. But we didn't have a way out. We were surrounded. Suddenly, America whispered in Ax's ear.

He jerked away, shocked. *What? No!*

*What did he say, Ax?*

*Prince Jake, he is telling me to cut Canada's throat!*

*What?* We screeched. America wanted Ax to kill his _brother?_

"It's the only way," he muttered, so quietly that Visser Three couldn't hear it. "Bro, I'm sorry, this will hurt."

Canada nodded, his face grim. England looked strangely calm.

*No! We can't!*

"Trust me!" America said to Jake. "It'll be alright."

They held each other's eyes for a moment, then Jake said *Do it, Ax.*

*Prince Jake-*

*Don't call me "Prince"! Just do it!*

Ax hesitated, then his tail moved almost too quickly to follow. Canada fell, a red line across his throat. I flapped clear.

The action was so surprising, that the Yeerks went into chaos. In the midst of it, we escaped, America carrying Canada's limp form over his shoulder while England had Kumajirou.

We found a safe place to demorph.

"How could you!" Rachel said to America. "Your own brother!"

"It's not how it appears," he replied, having set Canada down.

"I think it's exactly how it appears," Marco said. "It appears we just _murdered_ someone!"

"Don't be so sure, child." England said, wiping the blood away from Canada's wound.

"How can you be so calm-"

Suddenly, Canada coughed and sat up, wound gone. "Maple! You were right, Al, that _did_ hurt!" He looked around at our shocked expressions. "I take it you haven't explained it, yet."

"I was too busy being yelled at." America replied. He turned to us. "We can't be killed as long as the country we represent still exists. We can be wounded, and 'die', but we always come back."

"That is insane!" Marco said.

"But true." England said. "The only way the Yeerks will leave Alfred alone is if they think he's dead. Alfred, in a rare stroke of genius, figured that out. And since they thought Matthew here was Alfred, then…" he shrugged. "Had that actually been able to kill Matthew, Alfred would never have made that call. The git's too much of a 'hero'."

"I'm _your_ hero, though." America said, wrapping an arm around England's waist. The latter blushed. At least, I assumed he did; he hadn't removed his mask yet.

"Flirt later, Al, and hand over your jacket." Canada interrupted. "I can't walk down the street like this." He gestured to his blood covered clothes. Once Canada was covered by America's bomber jacket ant the masks were off, we went off, the nations to their hotel and us to our homes.

A noise gave me pause in my flying, and I wheeled back around. England was yelling at America about something. The latter was just laughing, a loud rather contagious laugh. Canada was just shaking his head with a half-amused, half-exasperated expression. Looking at America's cheerful face filled me with a lot of patriotism, and I smiled inwardly before turning and flying back to the forest.

As I flew, three words drifted from America's lips to my keen ears.

"I'm the hero!"

**And that's a wrap! Hah, did you think I would kill Canada? I love him too much! More hints at USUK. It's my favorite pairing. **

**I'll put up an epilogue soon, and an omake.**

**Bye! Please review!**


	5. Epilogue

**And…here's the epilogue. The main purpose of this is so America has a chance to be his usual goofy self. Plus, I just really wanted to write it! This will be in third person POV.**

**Enjoy!**

The sun shone brightly, reflecting on the rolling ocean water and golden sand. Six teens sat on a picnic blanket, using the beach, as usual, to escape from the burden of saving world. Only this time, three blond young men had joined them.

The Animorphs gaped as America motored through the large number of hamburgers he had brought. They were quick to inform Ax, who was about to attempt the same with his cinnamon buns, that it wasn't humanly possible. The same for the amount of maple syrup Canada was pouring on _everything._ The alien could not be kept away from England's food, though. He and America were the only ones eating it.

Tony, the alien the Animorphs had just been introduced to, sat off to the side, grumbling because America had invited "the ******* Limey". Kumajirou gazed at Canada. "Who're you?"

"I'm Canada."

When they got in the water, America took great pleasure in splashing everyone, particularly England. Marco almost got cursed when he made a joke about how England's waterlogged eyebrows would probably get heavy enough to drag him head-first into the water (America high-fived him for it). No one could find Canada when they played Marco Polo; he was the only one not caught, even if he screamed "Polo!" right in someone's ear.

When the sun started to set, cleanup began. However, America dumped the remaining lemonade on England and started a food fight with the leftovers.

Only one Animorph did not join in. Jake stood apart, gazing at the sunset with a sad and troubled look.

He heard a step behind him, and turned, expecting it to be Cassie. To his surprise, a food-splattered America was standing there. The nation gave him a warm smile. "What's on your mind, Jake?"

"Nothing," he said, looking back at the sunset.

America stepped up next to him, and gave him a sidelong glance. He knew Jake was lying (even someone as bad at reading the atmosphere as America could tell that), but didn't press. That glance was enough, though.

Jake sighed, and bit his lip. "My…my brother is one of _them_."

Now America's full attention was on him.

"Every day I look at him, and I _know_ it isn't him. It's not Tom looking at me, teasing me, going to school. It's my _enemy._" He drew in a shaky breath. "When you made that call in the Yeerk pool…to basically _kill_ your brother rather than let him be taken…even though, in the end, you knew he'd be fine…I've been wondering; will I have to one day make that call? Will I have to decide if my brother lives? We almost freed him, the first time we went to the Yeerk pool." He shook his head. "I don't ever want to make that call. If it was my brother's life or the freedom of the human race…I'm not sure what I'd do."

America said nothing at first. He gazed at Jake, studied him, a serious look on his face that was in contrast to the goofy grin he had worn the whole day. Finally, he placed a hand on Jake's shoulder and spoke.

"You're a good guy, Jake. If that time comes, I know you'll make the right decision. Don't worry about it too much." He smiled, a smile that filled his face and caused Jake to smile as well. "If you survive, and win, which I'm sure you will, I'd be honored to call you 'Boss'." Their names were called, and the turned to see the mess cleaned up. "C'mon. Iggy's gonna wanna pack tonight. He and Mattie are making me stay with them until this blows over. Hiding-so unheroic!" Jake laughed. "But he worries about me. Once upon a time he was like a big brother to me."

"And now?"

America winked. "Something much more." With that, he sprinted off, catching England in a surprise embrace. The other squawked, but was quickly silenced by a kiss on the lips. While Ax looked confused, Marco said something about how they were insane, Canada looked amused, and Rachel and Tobias shared a secret look, Cassie came over and slipped her hand in his.

Jake smiled at her, then gazed at the sunset again. Sure, he hadn't wanted leadership; it had been thrust upon him.

But maybe, just maybe, if they survived the war, if the Andalites came and the Yeerks were driven off, then maybe America _would_ end up calling him "Boss". And he would accept the title gladly.

And perhaps, his First Lady was already standing next to him.

**And that's it! I'm gonna wrap this up with an omake, then it's done! Originally the going into hiding plan was gonna be America's idea, but my friend WordWarrior192 pointed out he wouldn't want to because it wasn't very heroic. **

**Hehe, I love USUK, JakexCassie, and RachelxTobias. **

**By the way, peeps, there's a poll on my profile inspired by Canada's Wish! (which may become drabbles rather than a oneshot-keep your eyes peeled) Check it out!**

**Bye for now!**


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